The University of California’s 4-H program, a youth development initiative administered by UC since 1914, continues to influence the state’s agricultural sector through its alumni. The program, which engages young people in community activities related to agriculture and food, emphasizes service and leadership skills that many participants carry into their adult lives.
Tracy Schohr, a UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor, is one such alumna. She works with ranchers in Plumas, Sierra, and Butte counties on issues ranging from wildfire management to wolf predation. Schohr credits her diverse career to her early experiences in 4-H. “Everything you do in 4-H has some element of a team putting together an activity, or a fundraiser,” Schohr says. “You learn about agriculture and the community you live in, but you also have leadership opportunities, like planning community service or leading a meeting using parliamentary procedure from a very young age.”
Schohr participated in various 4-H activities including cooking, photography, and livestock raising. Her family has been involved in cattle ranching and rice farming for over a century in Gridley. After earning degrees from California State University, Chico and UC Davis, she joined UC Cooperative Extension—a statewide division of Agriculture and Natural Resources that oversees the 4-H program as well as other support services for farmers and land managers.
“Cooperative Extension takes the science and knowledge that is developed at the university and puts it in the hands of the people on the ground,” Schohr says. “And it’s not just research from the University of California, we’re pulling in research from all across the nation to help land managers, farmers, and ranchers in California address the challenges they face, while conducting research in our own local communities, too.”
UC Cooperative Extension operates across all 58 California counties with hundreds of advisors and educators supporting agricultural productivity. In 2024 alone, California agriculture reached $61.2 billion in revenue—an achievement supported by long-term research efforts led by extension staff.
Schohr’s recent work includes mediating between ranchers and wildlife officials regarding gray wolves’ return to Northern California after decades of absence. She collaborates with multiple stakeholders to find solutions such as using artificial intelligence for monitoring wolf activity and collecting biological samples for analysis at UC Davis.
Wildfire remains another major concern for local producers. During the Dixie Fire in 2021—one of California’s largest wildfires—Schohr helped coordinate response efforts through her professional network built partly through her childhood involvement with 4-H.
“Extension is really about being boundary spanning,” Schohr says. “We can work with different people in different places to try to find that common ground by bringing in economics, natural resources and social sciences, while tying in research and trying to find a solution that can balance all of these challenges that are happening out in the environment.”
Ariel Rivers is another example of how 4-H shapes future leaders. Raised on a Livermore ranch where she managed sheep at age nine thanks to 4-H programs, Rivers attributes much of her academic motivation to mentors she met through these activities. “I was so obsessed with 4-H that I stayed on as a camp counselor through high school,” Rivers says. “4-H was where I saved up money for college, developed early skills around finding careers and learning more about science, developing skills around public speaking—all of that.”
Rivers attended UC Davis before earning a Ph.D. from Penn State University; she now works for the National Association of Conservation Districts supporting advocacy efforts nationwide—including those based in California.
She notes persistent gaps between urban populations and rural agricultural communities: “Growing up in the Bay Area… I realized we need more conversations about what’s happening in these different places — there can’t be this dichotomy of urban versus rural.” Through public talks aimed at bridging this divide—and encouraging awareness about agricultural careers—Rivers hopes more young people will consider entering fields critical to food production.
“For those of us connected to farming or ranching… it’s a lifestyle… but that’s 2% of the population now,” Rivers says. “So we have a lot of challenges… And there’s a lot of jobs that just don’t get filled because people don’t know they exist.”
Both Schohr’s and Rivers’ experiences suggest that participation in programs like 4-H plays an important role not only for individuals but also for sustaining California’s broader agricultural landscape.
This article is based on reporting originally published by University of California Newsroom at https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/4-h-alumni-keeping-california-farming-strong.